Business to media transaction standard

Abstract

A business to media (B2M) transaction standard provides for the visualization of, and transactions of wares, simultaneously, in real time, and over multiple analog and digital media in multiple analog and digital marketplaces. The B2M transaction standard describes a business environment which may involve four roles (buyers/clients, marketplace suppliers, the universal agent supplier and offer providers) and three component types (media, marketplaces and a universal agent). In accordance with the B2M transaction standard, one embodiment of a method for facilitating transactions of wares between customers and offer providers includes: (a) conducting an offer construction process involving one or more offer providers offering wares available for transaction with customers and the universal agent supplier providing the universal agent to which offers of wares are communicated; (b) conducting a marketplace construction process involving one or more marketplace suppliers providing one or more marketplaces and one or more media for customer communication with the marketplaces, wherein wares available on said marketplaces are provided by the universal agent; and (c) conducting a transaction process wherein the single universal agent operating separately from the one or more marketplaces processes transaction requests from customers relating to wares offered by the one or more offer providers on the one or more marketplaces and presented to the customers through the one or more media.

1 . A method for facilitating transactions of wares between customers and offer providers, said method comprising the steps of:
 (a) conducting an offer construction process involving one or more offer providers and a universal agent supplier, wherein the one or more offer providers offer wares available for transaction with customers and wherein the universal agent supplier provides a universal agent to which offers of wares are communicated;   (b) conducting a marketplace construction process involving one or more marketplace suppliers and the universal agent supplier, wherein the one or more marketplace suppliers provide one or more marketplaces and one or more media for customer communication with the marketplaces and wherein wares available on said marketplaces are provided by said universal agent; and   (c) conducting a transaction process wherein a single universal agent operating separately from the one or more marketplaces processes transaction requests from customers relating to wares offered by the one or more offer providers on the one or more marketplaces and presented to the customers through the one or more media.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said step of conducting an offer construction process comprises:
 (i) defining one or more offers of wares available for transaction with customers, wherein the one or more offers are defined by the one or more offer providers and are included in one or more business domains;   (ii) creating delegations by the offer provider related to the one or more offers, wherein a delegation specifies whether the universal agent has authority on behalf of the offer provider to complete a transaction relating to an offer; and   (iii) placing the one or more offers and related delegations with the universal agent.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein said step of conducting a marketplace construction process comprises:
 (i) establishing communication between the one or more marketplaces and the universal agent;   (ii) receiving information about business domains available to the universal agent;   (iii) selecting at least one business domain; and   (iv) providing information from the one or more marketplaces through the one or more media to customers about the offers available in the at least one business domain.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein said step of conducting a transaction process comprises:
 (i) receiving at a marketplace a transaction request from a customer relating to an offer of wares defined by an offer provider;   (ii) transmitting the transaction request from the marketplace to the universal agent;   (iii) completing the transaction request at the universal agent when the universal agent is delegated authority by the offer provider to complete transactions relating to the offer of wares; and   (iv) informing the offer provider of the transaction request when the universal agent is not delegated authority by the offer provider to complete transactions relating to the offer of wares.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2  wherein said step of conducting a transaction process comprises:
 (i) receiving at a marketplace a transaction request from a customer relating to an offer of wares defined by an offer provider;   (ii) transmitting the transaction request from the marketplace to the universal agent;   (iii) completing the transaction request at the universal agent when the universal agent is delegated authority by the offer provider to complete transactions relating to the offer of wares; and   (iv) informing the offer provider of the transaction request when the universal agent is not delegated authority by the offer provider to complete transactions relating to the offer of wares.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said step of conducting a marketplace construction process comprises:
 (i) establishing communication between the one or more marketplaces and the universal agent;   (ii) receiving information about business domains available to the universal agent;   (iii) selecting at least one business domain; and   (iv) providing information from the one or more marketplaces through the one or more media to customers about the offers available in the at least one business domain.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein said step of conducting a transaction process comprises:
 (i) receiving at a marketplace a transaction request from a customer relating to an offer of wares defined by an offer provider;   (ii) transmitting the transaction request from the marketplace to the universal agent;   (iii) completing the transaction request at the universal agent when the universal agent is delegated authority by the offer provider to complete transactions relating to the offer of wares; and   (iv) informing the offer provider of the transaction request when the universal agent is not delegated authority by the offer provider to complete transactions relating to the offer of wares.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said step of conducting a transaction process comprises:
 (i) receiving at a marketplace a transaction request from a customer relating to an offer of wares defined by an offer provider;   (ii) transmitting the transaction request from the marketplace to the universal agent;   (iii) completing the transaction request at the universal agent when the universal agent is delegated authority by the offer provider to complete transactions relating to the offer of wares; and   (iv) informing the offer provider of the transaction request when the universal agent is not delegated authority by the offer provider to complete transactions relating to the offer of wares.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein an individual or entity acting as the universal agent supplier is separate from each individual or entity acting as a marketplace supplier. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein an individual or entity acting as the universal agent supplier is separate from each individual or entity acting as an offer provider. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  wherein an individual or entity acting as the universal agent supplier is separate from each individual or entity acting as a customer. 
     
     
         12 . A method for facilitating transactions of wares between customers and offer providers, said method comprising the steps of:
 (a) conducting an offer construction process involving one or more offer providers and a universal agent supplier, wherein the one or more offer providers offer wares available for transaction with customers and wherein the universal agent supplier provides a universal agent to which offers of wares are communicated, said conducting an offer construction process including:
 (i) defining one or more offers of wares available for transaction with customers, wherein the one or more offers are defined by the one or more offer providers and are included in one or more business domains; 
 (ii) creating delegations by the offer provider related to the one or more offers, wherein a delegation specifies whether the universal agent has authority on behalf of the offer provider to complete a transaction relating to an offer; and 
 (iii) placing the one or more offers and related delegations with the universal agent; 
   (b) conducting a marketplace construction process involving one or more marketplace suppliers and the universal agent supplier, wherein the one or more marketplace suppliers provide one or more marketplaces and one or more media for customer communication with the marketplaces and wherein wares available on said marketplaces are provided by said universal agent, said conducting a marketplace construction process including:
 (i) establishing communication between the one or more marketplaces and the universal agent; 
 (ii) receiving information about business domains available to the universal agent; 
 (iii) selecting at least one business domain; and 
 (iv) providing information from the one or more marketplaces through the one or more media to customers about the offers available in the at least one business domain; and 
   (c) conducting a transaction process wherein a single universal agent operating separately from the one or more marketplaces processes transaction requests from customers relating to wares offered by the one or more offer providers on the one or more marketplaces and presented to the customers through the one or more media, said conducting a transaction process including:
 (i) receiving at a marketplace a transaction request from a customer relating to an offer of wares defined by an offer provider; 
 (ii) transmitting the transaction request from the marketplace to the universal agent; 
 (iii) completing the transaction request at the universal agent when the universal agent is delegated authority by the offer provider to complete transactions relating to the offer of wares; and 
 (iv) informing the offer provider of the transaction request when the universal agent is not delegated authority by the offer provider to complete transactions relating to the offer of wares. 
   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  wherein an individual or entity acting as the universal agent supplier is separate from each individual or entity acting as a marketplace supplier. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12  wherein an individual or entity acting as the universal agent supplier is separate from each individual or entity acting as an offer provider. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 12  wherein an individual or entity acting as the universal agent supplier is separate from each individual or entity acting as a customer.